Chronological
Chapter 1
Title and Prologue[a]
1 The Song of Songs by Solomon.[b]
Longing for Love
Bride:
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.
Your[c] love is more delightful than wine;
3 fragrant is the scent of your anointing oils.[d]
Your name is a perfume poured out,
and that is why the maidens love you.
4 Take me with you, and let us make haste;
bring me into your chamber, O king.
Companions:
We will exult and rejoice in you;[e]
we will praise your love more than wine;
how right it is to love you.
First Poem
Tell Me, You Whom My Heart Loves
Let Me Not Be Found Wandering . . .[f]
Bride:
5 I am dark[g] but lovely,
O daughters of Jerusalem,
like the tents of Kedar,
like the curtains of Salma.
6 Do not stare at me because I am dark,
for I was scorched by the sun.
My mother’s sons vented their rage against me;
they forced me to look after the vineyards,
but my own vineyard[h] I could not watch over.
7 Tell me, you whom my heart loves,
where you pasture your flocks,
and where you rest them at midday,[i]
so that I may not be found wandering
beside the flocks of your companions.
Companions:
8 If you do not know,
O fairest among women,
follow the tracks of the flocks
and pasture your young goats
close to the tents of the shepherds.
To Sit in His Shadow Is My Delight[j]
Bridegroom:
9 I compare you, my beloved,
to a mare[k] harnessed to Pharaoh’s chariot.
10 Your cheeks are beautiful with pendants
and your neck with its jeweled necklaces.
11 We will make ornaments of gold for you
that are studded with silver.
Bride:
12 While the king reclines on his couch,
my nard[l] yields its fragrance.
13 My beloved is for me a sachet of myrrh[m]
that lies between my breasts.
14 My beloved is for me a cluster of henna[n] blossoms
in the vineyards of En-gedi.
Bridegroom:
15 How beautiful you are, my beloved,
how beautiful you are;
your eyes are doves.[o]
Bride:
16 How handsome you are, my love,
and how you delight me.
Our couch is verdant.[p]
Bridegroom:
17 The beams of our house are cedar;
our rafters are all of pine.
Chapter 2
Bride:
1 I am a rose of Sharon,[q]
a lily of the valley.
Bridegroom:
2 As a lily growing among thorns,
so is my beloved among maidens.[r]
Bride:
3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among young men.
To sit in his shadow is my delight,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 He escorts me into his banquet hall
and his banner[s] over me is love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins,
restore me with apples,[t]
for I am sick with love.
6 His left arm is under my head
and his right arm embraces me.
Bridegroom:
7 I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem,[u]
by the gazelles and the wild does:
Do not stir up or awaken love
before its time has come.
Second Poem[v]
Let Me See You
Bride:
8 Hark! I hear the voice of my beloved.
Look, here he comes,
leaping across the mountains[w]
bounding over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Look where he stands
behind our wall,
peering in through the windows,
gazing through the lattice.
10 My beloved speaks,
and he says to me:
“Arise, my beloved,
my fair one, and come!
11 [x]For see, the winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.
12 The flowers appear in the countryside;
the season of joyful songs has arrived,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree puts forth its figs
and the blossoms on the vine give forth their fragrance.
Arise, my beloved,
my fair one, and come!”
Bridegroom:
14 O my dove, hiding in the clefts of the rock,
in the sheltered recesses of the cliff,
let me see you,
let me hear your voice.
For your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
Companions:
15 Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes
that ruin our vineyards,
for our vineyards are blossoming.
Bride:
16 My beloved belongs to me, and I am his;[y]
he pastures his flock among the lilies.
17 Before the dawn[z] comes,
and the shadows flee,
return, my beloved,
like a gazelle or a young stag
upon the mountains of the covenant.
Third Poem
Chapter 3
I Found the One My Heart Loves[aa]
Bride:
1 Night[ab] after night upon my bed
I sought the one my heart loves.
I sought him, but I could not find him.
2 I said, “I will rise and go through the city,
along the streets and in the squares.
I will seek the one my heart loves.”
I sought him, but I could not find him.
3 The watchmen[ac] came upon me
as they made their rounds of the city,
and I asked them,
“Have you seen the one my heart loves?”
4 I had hardly gone past them
when I found the one my heart loves.
I held him and would not let him go
until I had brought him to my mother’s house,[ad]
to the very room where she had conceived me.
Bridegroom:
5 I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles and the wild does:
Do not stir up or awaken love
before its time has come.[ae]
Solomon on the Day of His Wedding[af]
Companions:
6 What is this coming up from the desert
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense
and with all the fragrant spices of the merchant?
7 Look, it is Solomon being carried in his litter,
and escorted by sixty valiant guards,
the bravest of the mighty warriors of Israel,
8 all of them expert swordsmen
and experienced in warfare,
each with his sword ready at his side
to guard against the terrors by night.[ag]
9 King Solomon had made himself a carriage
from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its base of gold,
its seat of purple cloth,
and its framework inlaid with ivory.
11 Daughters of Zion,[ah] come forth
and welcome King Solomon
as he wears the crown
that his mother had placed upon his head
on the day of his wedding,
on the day of his heart’s joy.
Chapter 4
How Beautiful You Are, My Beloved[ai]
Bridegroom:
1 How beautiful you are, my beloved;
your beauty has achieved perfection.
Your eyes are doves[aj]
behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down the slopes of Mount Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
that have come up from the washing.
Each one of them has a twin;
not a single one is unpaired with the other.
3 Your lips are like a scarlet thread,
and your mouth is lovely.
Your cheeks behind your veil
are like halves of a pomegranate.
4 Your neck is like the tower of David
built layer upon layer;
a thousand bucklers hang upon it,
all of them shields of valiant warriors.
5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
young twins of a gazelle
that graze among the lilies.
6 Before the dawn comes,
and the shadows flee,
I will hasten to the mountain of myrrh
and the hill of frankincense.
7 You are all-beautiful, my love,
without the slightest blemish.[ak]
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my promised bride;[al]
come with me from Lebanon.
Descend quickly from the heights of Amana,
from the peaks of Senir and Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
from the mountains of leopards.
9 You have stolen my heart,
my sister,[am] my bride.
You have stolen my heart with a single glance,
with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How beautiful is your love,
my sister, my bride!
How much more delightful is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your perfumes than any spices.
11 Your lips drip with honey,[an] my promised bride,
milk and honey are under your tongue,
and the fragrance of your garments
is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 You are an enclosed garden,
my sister, my promised bride;
you are a garden that is locked,
a fountain that is sealed.[ao]
13 You are like an orchard that brings forth pomegranates,
an orchard with the choicest fruits:[ap]
14 nard[aq] and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,
with all the incense-bearing trees,
myrrh and aloes
with all the finest spices.
15 You are a garden fountain,
a well of living water,
streams flowing down from Lebanon.
Bride:
16 Awake, north wind,
and come, south wind.
Blow upon my garden
so that its fragrance may spread abroad.
Let my beloved come to his garden
and eat its choicest fruits.[ar]
Chapter 5
Bridegroom:
1 I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride;
I gather my myrrh and my spices,
I eat my honeycomb and my honey,
I drink my wine and my milk.
Companions:
Eat, friends, and drink deeply,
until you are drunk with love.[as]
Fourth Poem
I Sought Him, but I Could Not Find Him
Open to Me[at]
Bride:
2 I was sleeping, but my heart was awake.
Listen! My beloved is knocking:
“Open to me, my sister, my beloved,
my dove, my perfect one.
For my head is drenched with dew,[au]
my hair with the wetness of the night.”
3 I have taken off my robe;
must I put it on again?
I have bathed my feet;
must I soil them again?[av]
4 My beloved thrust his hand through the opening in the door,[aw]
and my heart began to tremble.
5 I arose to open to my beloved
with myrrh dripping from my hands;
the liquid myrrh from my fingers
ran onto the handle of the bolt.
6 I opened to my beloved,
but he had turned away and was gone;
my heart sank at his disappearance.
I sought him, but I could not find him;
I called out to him, but he did not answer.[ax]
I Am Sick with Love[ay]
7 The watchmen[az] came upon me
as they made their rounds of the city.
They beat me and wounded me
and took my cloak from me,
those guardians of the walls.
8 I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem,
if you should find my beloved,
please tell him this:
that I am sick with love.
Companions:
9 In what way is your beloved better than any other,
O fairest of women?
In what way is your beloved better than any other
that you lay this charge upon us?
Bride:
10 [ba]My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
one who would stand out in a group of ten thousand.
11 His head is golden, of the purest gold;
his hair is like palm branches,
black as the raven.
12 His eyes are like doves[bb]
by water streams,
bathed in milk,
and mounted like jewels.
13 His cheeks are like beds of spices
pouring forth fragrant scents.
His lips are like lilies,[bc]
distilling choice myrrh.
14 His arms are rods of gold
adorned with jewels.
His body is a block of ivory
covered with sapphires.
15 His legs are pillars of marble
set in sockets of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
as imposing as the cedars.
16 His mouth is most sweet,
and he is totally desirable.
Such is my beloved and such is my friend,
O daughters of Jerusalem.
Chapter 6
I Belong to My Beloved[bd]
Companions:
1 Where has your beloved gone,
O loveliest of women?
In what direction has your beloved turned
so that we may join you in searching for him?
Bride:
2 My beloved has gone down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to browse in his garden
and to gather lilies.
3 I belong to my beloved, and my beloved is mine;[be]
he browses among the lilies.
Fifth Poem
One Alone Is My Dove, My Perfect One
You Are Beautiful, My Beloved[bf]
Bridegroom:
4 You are as beautiful as Tirzah,[bg] my beloved,
as lovely as Jerusalem,
as majestic as an army with banners.
5 Turn away your eyes from me,
for they leave me defenseless.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
streaming down the slopes of Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
as they come up from the washing;
each of them has a twin,
and not one is alone.
7 Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil.
8 There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,
and maidens[bh] beyond numbering.
9 One alone is my dove, my perfect one,
the darling of her mother,
the favorite of the one who bore her.
The maidens saw her and proclaimed her blessed;
the queens and concubines sang her praises.
Companions:
10 Who is this that comes forth like the dawn,
beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun,
formidable as an army with banners?
Bride:
11 I went down to the orchard of nut trees
to look at the green shoots in the valley,[bi]
to see whether the vines had budded
and whether the pomegranates were in bloom.
12 Before I realized it, my desire had placed me
in a chariot beside my prince.[bj]
Chapter 7
How Beautiful You Are and How Charming[bk]
Companions:
Bridegroom:
Why are you looking at the Shulammite
as at a dance of Mahanaim?
Companions:
2 How beautiful are your feet in sandals,
O prince’s daughter.
Your rounded thighs are like jewels,
the handiwork of a master hand.
3 Your navel is a well-rounded bowl
that never lacks mixed wine.
Your belly is a mound of wheat[bn]
surrounded by lilies.
4 Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
5 Your neck is like an ivory tower;
your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon[bo]
by the gate of Bath-rabbim.
Your nose is like the Tower of Lebanon
that faces toward Damascus.
6 Your head is held high like Carmel;[bp]
your flowing locks are as dark as purple,
and a king is held captive in your tresses.
Bridegroom:
7 How beautiful you are and how charming,
my beloved, my delight.
8 You are as stately as a palm tree,[bq]
and your breasts are like clusters of fruit.
9 [br]I have decided to climb the palm tree
and take hold of its fruit.
May your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
the scent of your breath as sweet as apples,
10 and your mouth like fragrant wine.
Come, My Beloved, I Will Give You My Love[bs]
Bride:
[bt]May the wine go straight to my beloved,
gliding over the lips and teeth.
11 I belong to my beloved,
and his desire is for me.[bu]
12 Come, my beloved,
let us go forth into the fields
and spend the night in the villages.
13 Let us go to the vineyards early
and see if the vines are budding,
if their blossoms have opened
and the pomegranates are in bloom;
there I will give you my love.
14 The mandrakes[bv] emit their fragrance,
and at our doors are the rarest of fruits,
fresh as well as ripened,
which I have kept in store for you, my beloved.
Chapter 8
1 Oh, if only you were to me like a brother,
nursed at my mother’s breast.
Then if I met you out of doors,
I could kiss you
without people regarding me with scorn.[bw]
2 I would lead you
and bring you into the home of my mother.
There you would teach me to give you spiced wine to drink
and the juice of my pomegranates.
3 His left hand is under my head
and his right arm embraces me.
Bridegroom:
4 I charge you, daughters of Jerusalem:
Do not stir up or awaken love
before its time has come.[bx]
Epilogue
Love Is as Strong as Death[by]
Companions:
5 Who is this coming up from the wilderness
leaning on her beloved?
Bridegroom:
Under the apple tree[bz] I awakened you;
it was there that your mother conceived you,
and there where she who conceived you bore you.
Bride:
6 [ca]Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal upon your arm.
For love is as strong as death,[cb]
and ardor is as relentless as the netherworld.
Its flames are flashes of fire,
an unending blaze.[cc]
7 Flood waters cannot quench love,
nor can torrents drown it.
If one were to offer all his wealth for love,
he would be regarded with contempt.
One Who Brings Peace[cd]
Companions:
8 “Our sister is little,
and her breasts are not yet formed.
What shall we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build a silver battlement upon it;
if she is a door,
we will board her up with planks of cedar.”
Bride:
10 I am a wall,
and my breasts are like towers.
So now in his eyes
I have become one who brings peace.
My Vineyard Is under My Control[ce]
11 [cf]Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon,[cg]
and he entrusted that vineyard to tenants.
For its fruit each one would have to pay him
a thousand pieces of silver.
12 My vineyard[ch] is under my control.
You, O Solomon, may have the thousand silver pieces,
and those who tend the fruit may have two hundred.
Bridegroom:
13 O you who dwell in the gardens,
my companions are listening for your voice;
let me hear it.
Bride:
14 Make haste, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle or a young stag
upon the spice-filled mountains.
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